Warwick Police confirmed yesterday that Kenneth R. Naylor, 47, who was stopped on Sept. 28 and found to have an estimated $2,000 worth of “borrowed” city equipment in his pickup, has been charged with felony larceny.

Acting on a tip, Det. Capt. Robert Nelson said his detectives set up a surveillance operation in the city’s Public Works Department on Sandy Lane on Sept. 28. According to the detectives’ report, Naylor pulled his pickup truck into the yard around 8 p.m. and used a keypad combination to get into the yard. They said there was not much more than a utility box in the back. They reported that he drove out of the yard around 8:25 and the detectives saw that the bed of the pickup was full. They reported they followed the truck to Veteran’s Memorial Drive and initiated a stop in front of 20 Veteran’s Memorial Dr.

Police uncovered a number of items in the back of the truck that were identified as city property but, according to police, Naylor said he had permission to use tools that belonged to the city. Detectives said there were assorted cast iron pipe and plumbing parts, a chain saw and a five-gallon gas can filled to capacity, two trash receptacles and numerous tools.

Detectives said that Naylor told them he was going to use the stuff and the tools to clean up his place and that of his neighbor and that he was picking the stuff up at night, after the yard was closed, because he would not be able to take it the next day because he planned to call in sick the next day.

Subsequent to his being stopped, and details of it being revealed, Naylor was suspended and then fired by the City of Warwick. At the time, Naylor told police city employees were allowed to borrow equipment, although he had not cleared that with a supervisor. Now, with felony charges holding out the possibility of jail time, and with a past checkered with other brushes with the law, Naylor faces, at best, an uncertain future.

According to Rhode Island Court Records, Kenneth R. Naylor is not a complete stranger to police in several communities:

In 1989, Naylor pleaded nolo contendere to trespassing to get a felony larceny charge dismissed in connection with a Cranston arrest.

In 2005, Naylor pleaded nolo to shoplifting and removing a theft prevention sensor from merchandise in July and again pleaded nolo to shoplifting in September. Warwick Police brought both charges.

In December of 2005, Naylor was charged with driving on a suspended and unauthorized use of official insignia in East Greenwich. He pleaded nolo to the suspended license charge and the insignia charge was dismissed.

I don't know that borrowing some tools, and stealing some cast iron pipes, rags and 5 gallons of gas is exactly a felony. This will be plead down to a misdemeaner. Which is what it should be. I would have been happy with him just being fired. Hopefully this will slow the fleecing of taxpayers across all departments.

Patientman: Do you really believe the tools (chainsaws etc.) were coming back? This is his fourth time getting caught stealing stuff. If you stole $2,000 from the cash draw you would be put away for a long time. This is no different.

This guy is a walking felony it looks like. And an walking indictment on the criminal revolving door and also the city of Warwick's LOW LOW employment standards! And to think they were just going to sweep this under the rug until Rob Cote and the car Tax Revolt got ahold of it. WOW

If he returned the tools and the yard supervisor had noticed that the pipes were missing too, then would the supervisor ask him about the pipes? Most "borrowers" either return everything or nothing at all.